The board of directors of the The Université du Québec en Outaouais voted last night for a new language policy that’s expected to end the school’s English-language business programs.

In a statement Monday night, the university said it was affirming the French language is the language of instruction at all levels.

“The new policy clearly stipulates that UQO is a French-language public university,” the statement read.

The statement said other languages could be used in translation courses and in upper-level multilingual programs where a French version was also offered and the number of French credits was equal, or superior, to the other languages.

UQO spokesman Jean Boileau would only say that the English MBA program would not continue as it is, but in a multilingual form. He said the policy would be outlined at a press conference today.

For the past four months, the university, which says its mission includes the “struggle against exclusion,” has consulted the public and the university community about a plan to end English-language courses.

Rector Jean Vaillancourt said Gatineau’s francophone university needed to consider phasing out English to concentrate on French-language education, its primary responsibility. Supporters of the English-language business programs argued they provided revenue for the university and it would be wrong to exclude anglophone students because they and their parents pay Quebec taxes. This is the third time the university has tried to eliminate English-language courses in recent years.

Jan Saint-Macary, head of the university’s French and English MBA programs, said English-language courses should continue because they are profitable and make the 25-year-old university better known. “It will essentially close the English program. This goes completely against the mandate of UQO, which says it is supposed to fight exclusion.”

Mr. Saint-Macary said the public consultation was bogus and amounted to linguistic cleansing because many members of the university administration had already decided the school should become a French-only institution.

Monday night’s decision comes despite the fact that earlier this month, the university’s academic committee voted 6-4 to continue the English-language MBA and project administration programs, but not offer additional courses in English.